LINCOLN, Neb.—A grand slam by Nebraska first baseman Madi Unzicker highlighted a six-run fourth inning as the Huskers topped South Dakota 9-3 Tuesday at Bowlin Stadium.
Nebraska (23-10) took the win, but Coyote first baseman
Jamie Holscher took the headline. Holscher, who prepped at nearby Lincoln Northeast High School, hit a solo home run off Husker ace Kaylan Jablonski in the fourth inning that tied the game at 3-3. It was the third home run of the season for the hometown standout and the seventh of her collegiate career. Holscher finished 1-for-2.
Jablonski (17-6) relieved Nebraska starter Regan Mergele in the third inning and pitched the final five frames to earn her nation-leading 17
th win of the season. She surrendered one other hit other than the Holscher homer and struck out nine. She was also 2-for-3 in the batters' box with a run scored.
After Holscher tied it, Bri Cassidy untied it with her third home run of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth that gave Nebraska a 4-3 lead. Unzicker's fifth home run of the season came five batters later and capped the scoring.
The Coyotes (13-21) took a 2-1 lead in the second on doubles by
Lauren Eamiguel and
Camille Fowler.
Jessica Rogers, the three-time Summit Player of the Week who played her final high school season at Southwest High School in Lincoln, walked and scored in the second, drove one to the warning track in right in the third, and struck out in the sixth. Rogers had hit safely in six consecutive games.
After playing 34 consecutive games on the road, South Dakota will begin a three-game home set Friday at noon against Western Illinois at Nygaard Field. Friday's doubleheader will be followed by a single game at 11 a.m. Saturday.
